Tile Roof Conversions

1) From the structure point of view:
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistic, the average house size today is 264m2. This means, after allowing for pitch and eaves, a tiled house roof with weigh 15.6 tons (excluding any timberwork), while the same roof in steel would weeigh merely 1,467kg – i.e. less than 10% of the tiled house roof’s weight.

Although the roof structure is designed to carry this kind of weight, its will be affected by the constant weight and the structural members will gradually deform over the years. This is often evident at the gutter corners with regularly start to hold water after a few years, due to the hips being elongated.

2) From the utility point of view:
Tile companies claim that the additional weight of a tiled house roof makes storm damage less likely. But, we think the big hailstorm that hit Sydney on 14 April 1999 hs dispelled this myth. In fact, the lighter weight of a steel roof is absolutely not a concern as long as the house is properly constructed and tied down according to the Australian Standard. On the contrary, steel house roofs are regularly used in cyclone areas!

3)From the security point of view:
A young mother of three, Judith, ‘broke’ into her own home through the tiled roof without using any tools when she left her keys accidently inside and locked herself out.

If Judith managed to ‘break’ into her own home easily, could you imagine how easy a ‘professional’ burglar can get into her house (or any house) through a tiled roof?